Robert Cormier's Heroes

Robert Cormier’s Heroes follows Francis Cassavant, a deformed war veteran who returns to his childhood home of Frenchtown to carry out one last mission; kill Larry LaSalle. Initially the narrator does not provide any explanation for his murderous intent, leading the audience to question if this is some post traumatic delusion. As Francis roams the streets of Frenchtown in search of LaSalle, however, we learn of his dark past. The circumstances which transformed Francis from love infatuated adolescent to Silver Star ‘hero’ and form a greater reflection on the injustices of life.
The first injustice of Francis’ life, which sets all others in motion, is the sexual assault of his girlfriend Nicole at the hands of LaSalle. By this point Cormier

A consequent mistrust of LaSalle is perpetuated by the characterisation of his alliterative name, Astaire-esque walk, movie star smile and other grandiosities. This individual is simply too perfect for the menial existence of Frenchtown and one begins to question his murky past: the life he led in show business before “he had ‘gotten into trouble’ in New York City”. These suspicions are later confirmed when LaSalle returns home on furlough, eager to relive the glory days of the Wreck Centre with old friends. As the night winds down, members of the group retire until only Francis, Nicole and the town hero remain. Cormier pays careful attention to the lyrics playing over the phonograph: “never in a million years will there be another you”2, foreshadowing that Francis will lose Nicole. Larry suggests that Francis also leave, asserting that “Nicole and I are going to have one last dance” . Despite Nicole’s protests and a vague suspicion of LaSalle’s true intentions, Francis feels compelled to abandon her following years

After all the suffering Francis has endured as a result of LaSalle’s actions, the reader expects that the protagonist will finally confront his nemesis and exact revenge. As Cormier demonstrates, however, murder is never so swift, clean and morally unambiguous. The terrors of war have reduced LaSalle to a defenceless old man with “eyes sunk into the sockets” and skin “yellowed with age”.9 Once Larry realises that Francis witnessed his assault of Nicole and can sense Francis’ fatal mission, he does not attempt any further manipulation. Instead, Larry opts for complete honesty, admitting “everybody sins… the terrible thing is that we love our sins. We love the things that make us evil. I love the sweet young things”. He is also careful to remind Francis of all the good times at the Wreck Centre, asking him “does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?” Though Francis never reveals whether or not he identifies with this twisted logic, he clearly realises the killing of LaSalle will bring him little satisfaction and chooses to forget this remorseless man. As Francis leaves the tenement “the sound of a pistol cracks the air” , signifying that LaSalle has lived and died on his own terms despite his deplorable